Help New Ideas for Potty Training

Is there a reason she needs to be potty trained now? (like going to preschool in the fall?) If not, I'd really recommend just forgetting all about it for a while. You really can't do anything until she has the desire to be out of diapers.

Does she see you or other kids use the toilet?

I totally agree with the naked or underwear technique. I felt like I tried everything with my daughter too...sitting on the pot every 15 minutes, pull-ups, etc. The only thing that worked was when I decided to make it a commitment on my part and put her in underwear. It's a lot of work for the first couple of days but it seemed like she caught on very quickly. We still used pull-ups if we were going to be in the car for a while or out of the house. I think it was more me having to make the commitment to dedicate a few days to intense potty training. Once we started her in underwear...we never went back. Good luck!

If she likes movies there is a Elmo potty time video that my daughter loved. she had to have the potty by her when she watched it. I also found it easier just to put her in undies and let them fell it down their leg a few times. That got my daughter trained fast, But she was alreay going on the potty frequently. Fun undies also can work. Good luck.

I know this may sound a bit crazy, but the way I've been successful with my daughters is I have them go naked for about a week. I literally dedicate my week to doing the potty training. They will sometimes have a few accidents on the floor, but for the most part, it is intimidating to them to have urine running down there leg. It also makes me very aware....if they have to go I can catch them mid accident and they get to go on the potty. Also, the other key for me is the start in the morning, I will wake them up before they've had an opportunity to go in their diaper in the morning, and will put them on the toilet. Then I find a reward that really means something to them, and ever time they actually go in the toilet, they get that. For one it was m&ms for another she got to have me read her a story every time after she went (let me tell you, that was a LOT of stories during that week, we normally had story time a few times during the day, but I felt like I was reading all day, she'd always pick out the longest story books). Anyway, I hope this helps, good luck, and as my mom always told me, don't be to stressed, they won't be going to Kindergarten in diapers! ;-)

Strip her naked. or at least just a long t-shirt or a dress with nothing under it. give it a long weekend, start with nothing under and by day three or four she'll be in underwear. There will still be accidents, but being naked will help her learn her body's signals without the diaper/underwear confusion. it can get messy, but it took my son less than a day to understand.

GOOD LUCK!

E.,
Don't be hard on yourself. Having gone through this training experience twice, I can tell you the best advice I ever got was to remind me that no kid goes to college in diapers.

It will happen. You are doing all of the right things. As an early childhood educator, I am sure you appreciate that the child is in the driver's seat when it comes to eating and potty training. The best thing to do is be consistent, offering support when the child needs it, and encouragement and praise when the child does it "right".

Relax with it, and maybe you can learn more about how Meredith sees this whole new transition. It is a great time of life (for both of you). When she decides to "go", it should be her accomplishment, not yours.
K.

I just potty trained my 2 and a half year old also. Had the same issues!!!! Potty chart nada m&ms nada. And so I took off work one day and made her sit on the potty for literally 6 hoursmade her color there play there and watch tv. When she finally gave in she paniced! Wanted to get up and grab a diaper her father and I were both there and we told her it would be okay and to just potty on the potty chair. She had this awful look of discomfort.... And fear after she peed. I think she thought it was naughty to potty on the chair so we got really excited and told her she did such a good job and just reassured her that that was the right thing to do and than gave her the m&msnd she totally got it! After that day she was potty trained never had an accident amd after a week of candy we stopped that and she was fine. That worked for me good luck to u!!

My daughter is 2 1/2 also. We've been trying to potty train her for the last 5-6 mo, although not with 110% commitment I will admit. We have used the m&m's and sticker chart as well and they are hit and miss whether they motivate her or not. She was the same as far as wearing underpants and not caring if she peed or even pooped in them. Rarely did she tell me that she had to go potty. Fortunately, I am a teacher and have the summer off. That is why I was not totally committed to the potty training before; I new I'd have the summer to work on it. Anyway, now that summer is here, we gave the rest of her diapers to a friend's baby because "only babies where diapers". Since we have done that(it's been 6 days), she has had maybe 4-5 accidents. I am using an incentive of putting 1 marble in jar for going pee and 2 marbles for going poop, and after 20 marbles she gets a prize. She's already gotten 2 prizes! She never went poop in the potty before until yesterday she went twice! Very exciting! I am completely surprised that she has done so well considering how she had been doing the past 5 months. One thing I should say is that you said your daughter will not actually go in the potty, where my daughter would go in the potty every now and then, she just wouldn't tell me she had to. Good Luck!

I am also working on potty training. My daughter has shown an intrest, will strip off her clothes but has yet to actually go in the pot. I am not too worried she is 2 years 3 months so it is still early. The consolation that I keep hearing is that all children get potty trained. Sometimes they have a different schedule than other children. So be patient, don't be too pushy or it could back fire and keep it fun. Like I read in a book, they have been using their diaper since they were born, this is a whole new experience for them. Good Luck! I know I need it. From another single unemployed mom just trying to make it.

I agree that you are putting her on too much. Try to make it a schedule as such. Put her on in the morning when she gets up. Have her sit until she goes (running the water does help). Try again mid-morning or before you head out anywhere. Have her sit again before lunch and then before and after nap. (if she doesn't nap, mid-afternoon) Don't have her sit too long -- just try again a half hour later. Then before dinner, before bath/bedtime, etc. It's all about consistency and schedule. She'll eventually get the idea herself and be able to identify the signals herself. Good luck!

Hi E.! I totally disagree with the naked potty training. I think it can be humiliating to a child to have pee running down their leg. My son had an accident in his undies on the first day of training and he was so embarrassed! I hurt for him!
I think you may be having her go too often. We did every hour with our son.
Don't feel too bad about not being able to train her quickly. Some kids are so stubborn (my daughter is!) and this is the last thing they can have control over.
Good luck!

For my 2 year old the difference was when I put him in underwear. When he wore a pull up or diaper and peed it pulled it away so he didn't feel uncomfotable and wet. I put him in underwear and that did the trick. He didn't like the feeling of being wet and trained within a week. Be prepared, the first few days we went through at least a dozen pairs of underwear. We also rewarded him with m&m's each time he went on the potty.

You are putting her on there too often. It is frustrating but until she actually goes in the potty, she is seeing it as somewhere you sit for a bit. Try sitting her on the potty and running the bath water for her. If you know around the times she has wet pants, how long after she drinks and such, put her on there a little sooner then that. At the day care I worked at we would have them try then if they didn't go we would try between a half hour to hour later then if they did go we would wait a couple hours. Use the diapers until she actually goes in the potty and then as a reward get her some pretty panties and tell her that we have to be careful not to wet them. I did put rubber pants on it to keep the mess under control and it is really uncomfortable to have that puddle in the rubber pants, so watch it, they will pull them off pretty fast. To be potty trained they need to be able to control it some. They have to feel when they have to go before it is too late so explain the feeling to your daughter. Tell mommy when you need to go when you feel the pressure here in your tummy. You also need to watch the actions, walking with crossed legs, playing and suddenly stopping are a couple of them.

Good luck

You seem to be getting advice on the "naked technique." I've heard it works, esp. in summer. I didn't use this technique, but I did tell my boy (he started using the potty just after age 3 when he was tall enough to get good aim) that we are DONE with diapers, and I meant it. Overnight pull-ups lasted about one week. I just didn't want to buy them because they're so expensive!

Have you tried "PEER PRESSURE?" If all her friends are doing it, then maybe she will. My boy was in day care and they all got potty trained at the same time.

Hello E.!
I will tell you what worked for us and our neighbor. We both have boys and they were potty trained at 2. We let them run around the house naked below the waist. You just have to keep a potty in any room they are in. You WILL have some messes, but they catch on very quickly. You have to pick a weekend and stay home for 3 days and just focus on the potty. I learned of this technique from www.babycenter.com it was an article about potty training in 3 days. We've never had to use a pull up at all! I ended up giving ours away! He is not potty trained for naps or night time, that can take years I've read, but I'm happy with where we are now! Let me know if you have any questions!
Good Luck!
L. L.

E.,
When my daughter was 2 1/2 it was about this time of year too. I had a small pool in the back yard and the one rule was that no one could potty in the pool. So if the kids had to go potty they would have to either go in a potty chair on the deck or if they couldn't make it they could just potty in the grass (that may be the gross part for some). Also, all the time we spent outside she had big girl underpants on. She would potty in the potty chair on the deck (so she didn't have to run so far to go) and if she had an accident it was outside so it was no big deal. She potty trained herself this way... seriously.
Don't work to hard on this...I think alot of parents are potty training themselves instead of their kids. They will do it themselves if just given time.
C.

does she have a doll? ive heard that you can train your kid in a weekend if you try teaching them to train a doll. is that confusing enough for you? i dont know if it will work or not.

my son is 2 1/2 and he simply doesnt care. its like he just cant slow down long enough to do it. ive been meaning to try the 'naked outside' bit, but its been crazy weather here...

good luck.

I agree with a few of the other posts...with my son (now 32 months) he was doing similar things as your daughter...and we just put underwear on him (no pants) when we were home..and gave him lots to drink :) at first we set the timer every hour. then we just let him..he only had a few accidents but it helped train him really fast! He was pretty much totally trained in about 2 weeks! we only used a diaper at night for about another month...and he was consistently dry..so now he is totally in underwear!! its so great :) good luck!